The PGA Tour took to Pacific Palisades, CA on Thursday for the first round of the Genesis Invitational in an extremely star-studded list of players in the event. Unquestionably the biggest star in the field is returning golf legend Tiger Woods, who hadn’t played competitive golf since the Open Championship last July.
Woods played alongside stars Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy on Thursday. He was in the midst of a mostly subpar first round but turned things around in a huge way in the final three holes of his round.
Tiger came to the 16th hole at +1 but proceeded to have a fantastic end of the round. He recorded birdies on both 16 and 17, then finished the round with three in a row, making birdie at No. 18.
With the fantastic finish to his round Tiger sits at -2 and is in a tie for 26th place.
This incredible finish to the round certainly sets him up in a prime position to make the cut and play the weekend. Many around the golf world praised him for his impressive play coming off such a long layoff.
What makes this performance in the first round for Woods even more impressive is that even in his prime Riviera Country Club wasn’t an ideal course for him. It is one of the few courses that he has never won in his historic career in 13 appearances at the course.
While he didn’t have the best round up until his late birdie streak, his finish is the best of anyone in the field. According to ESPN Stats & Info on Twitter, he was the only player to birdie holes 16,17,18 in Round 1.
Tiger Woods will look to keep this momentum going in Round 2 on Friday with an early start at 7:24 a.m. local time, 10:24 a.m. Eastern.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.